


Five Feet Required

by Scribrosponsionarum



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Amusement Parks, First Kiss, Holding Hands, M/M, Pining, Roller Coasters, i just wanted to write about Ed and and Ling being dumb teens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 05:46:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20420903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scribrosponsionarum/pseuds/Scribrosponsionarum
Summary: Ed is too short to get on the biggest rollercoaster in the amusement park by himself. Ling needs to find the secret passage in the Tunnel of Love but can't go without a partner. They make a deal.





	Five Feet Required

“What do you mean I’m not allowed on?” Ed exclaimed, glaring at the man in the booth. “I’m fifteen! I can handle a roller coaster.”

The man looked him over with a suspicious look. “You sure you’re fifteen, kid?” Before Ed could erupt and threaten a Crazy Coaster Park worker, the man interrupted him. “You’re too small, and no, the platforms on your shoes giving you an extra two inches don’t count. The height restriction has been increased for safety reasons. If you come back with a supervisor, someone taller than you, not some other little kid, then I’ll let you on."

“That’s not fair!” Ed shouted and gave the man a long stink eye, before finally stomping away from the stand, seeking out Al. He gave one last sad glance at the Crashing Star roller coaster and its many loops and turns, standing taller than any other ride at the park and backlit by the setting sun. He’d been looking forward to it since their last visit, two years ago, when he had been told he was too short. Of course, the same problem had to arise yet again. Ed paused to scream a bit and kick a trash can, getting some stares from a few passersby, before continuing on his way.

It wasn’t long until he found his brother where he last left him, near the food court at one of the tables. Al had been more preoccupied with eating cotton candy and taking pictures of the stray cats that hung out around the Crazy Coaster Park than actually going on any of the rides, especially as it got later. In fact, Al had bought a new stick of cotton candy and petting an orange striped cat stretched out on the table when Ed found him.

“Al!” Ed exclaimed, slapping his hands down on the table, startling both his brother and the cat.

“Wow. Rude.”

“They’re not letting me on the Crashing Star!” Ed complained, throwing his hands back up. “They said I’m too- nghhh-”

“It’s all right, you can say it,” were Al’s words of comfort.

“...Short.” 

“I’m proud of you.”

“I need someone, ugh… taller… to go on the roller coaster with me,” Ed explained, fists clenched in both determination and seething rage. “So can you _please_ go with me?”

“Brother, right after I’ve had this much cotton candy?” Al asked in horror.

“But I need somebody to go with me! I’ve been waiting for this for so long, I can’t just not go!”

“Then ask someone else,” Al offered. “I’ve seen Lan Fan and Mei around-”

“No,” Ed quickly decided. “Mei’s even shorter and I think Lan Fan hates me.”

“And there’s Paninya and Winry too-”

“They’re on a date. I can’t barge in.”

“Oh, and there’s Ling.”

Ed’s eyes widened. “Ling? Where is he?” He paused, realizing he probably seemed overexcited about his ridiculously clingy friend. “I mean, not like I’d want to go on the roller coaster with _him_. He’s just my last resort.”

Al gave him a disbelieving look. “Right. He’s over there, staring at the soft pretzels.”

Ed’s head snapped around, catching sight of his friend, and to his annoyance, his heart began to flutter. Ling was irritating, constantly begging Ed to buy him food, unable to shut up, and always following him around. But then again, Ling was nice to Ed, occasionally got a laugh out of him, and was probably one of his best friends. And worst of all, Ed spent too much time wondering what it would be like to kiss Ling.

“Hey, Ed, you okay?” Al asked, breaking Ed from his daydreams.

“Yeah,” Ed replied, realizing he’d been staring at Ling for a little longer than he should be. “I’ll go ask him out.” He quickly added, “To the roller coaster, of course.”

Al made another strange face, but as soon as Ed left he went back to petting the gently purring cat in front of him.

“Hey, Ling,” Ed greeted his friend once he edged up next to the pretzel cart.

“Hey, Ed,” Ling replied with his usual shining grin. “You came here to buy me a pretzel, right?”

“Ugh, no. Stop shoveling into my pockets to buy yourself food,” Ed grumbled. “I actually wanted to ask you for a favor.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“I need to get on a roller coaster but… um…” Ed struggled to get the words ago, embarrassed over the whole endeavor. “I need someone else to go with me… Well, because-”

“Because you’re a shrimp?”

Ed sent Ling the darkest death stare he could. “_What did you just call me?_”

"Yeah, I’ll go with you!” Ling said, barely avoiding Ed getting any angrier at him.

“Great,” Ed said, glad things had gone so smoothly, although still slightly peeved at being called a shrimp. But the good thing was that he'd get to go on the roller coaster and spend time with Ling.

“But, I do need a favor in turn from you.”

Ed frowned. "What?”

"I need to get on the Tunnel of Love."

"_What?_" Ed's face was burning, much to his annoyance. “Uh… no?” He did kind of want to go on the Tunnel of Love with Ling, he realized. But he couldn’t admit that aloud. Especially not when Ling probably only thought of him as a friend.

Ling pouted. "Ah come on dude, it's not romantic unless you want it to be. I heard there's a secret passage in the ride since it’s ancient, that's all. We can go on your own roller coaster first if you want." Ed felt a twinge of disappointment.

“I mean, I might go, but not because I want to. And, well why don’t you just bring anyone else, like Lan Fan instead?” Ed demanded. Lan Fan was practically Ling’s shadow, always following him around and always glaring daggers at Ed.

“She’s sworn to beat all the rigged games at the park so she can liberate the stuffed animals,” Ling explained. “I can’t take a woman away from a mission that important. Also, Mei and I get half of the winnings. And you do owe me one.”

Ed couldn’t argue with that. “Right. Fine. I’ll go with you.”

“Also, when we’re done with Crashing Star would you buy me dinner?” Ling teased him. “I’m practically starving but I don’t have enough money.”

“Now you’re pushing it.” Ed rolled his eyes.

Ling sighed. “It was worth a try. Well let’s go on that roller coaster you’re so excited about.”

“Alright, let’s go!”

The two started making their way to the Crashing Star, Ling sending the pretzels one last departing glance before they were out of view. The crowd was small when they arrived, and it wasn’t long until Ed was face to face with the man at the ticket booth again.

“Oh, it’s you again,” the man said. “What do you want?”

“I want to ride the Crashing Star!” Ed explained, chest puffed out with triumph. “And, I can go on because I brought someone with me.”

The man looked unimpressed. “Alright, go on.”

Ed sent the man one last scowl for ruining his victory, but he and Ling both checked their wristbands before moving up to the row of bright red carts.

“Which seat are we getting?” Ling asked.

“The very front, duh,” Ed scoffed, grabbing Ling’s arm and dragging him as quickly as they could to the front of the carts before anyone else could take the seat. “We’re not cowards.”

“You know this thing goes 120 miles an hour?” Ed recited, eyes shining. “It’s highest drop is 324 feet! It has three loops and is exactly one minute and 13 seconds of pure thrill.”

"Wow, you really are a nerd," Ling replied, pulling the safety bar over their heads.

"No, I'm not!"

All of a sudden, the speaker blared. A recording went over the safety rules, but Ed paid little heed to them, legs swinging back and forth from his seat in a childish manner.

“It’s starting!” he practically sang when their cart shook for a moment and then started to inch up the tracks to the first drop. As the cart slowly began to ascend, Ed realized a shred of doubt that began to grow. His heart had sunk to his stomach as the cart reached its peak, barely looming over a sharp drop where Ed knew it would speed up in moments, the cart faintly clicking as they were at the top. The tracks were so steep he could barely see them past the cart. _Oh_.

“Um, Ling?” Ed asked nervously. “Think it’s too late to get off?”

“What, scared because your head has never been over five feet of the ground before?” Ling teased with a grin, which faded as he noticed Ed's genuine panic. "Hey, you can hold my hand if you're scared.”

Ed rolled his eyes. "Pshaw. I'm not scared. This is noth-" The moment the cart teetered over the edge and began to speed down, he clamped onto Ling's hand.

The drop was terrifying, Ed’s organs felt misplaced from the absolute horror of it all, but thankfully not very long until the carts were on more level tracks.

"Oh! This is fun!" Ling cheered.

"I'm going to die," Ed groaned.

Of course, before Ed could recover fully, there was a sharp turn, and he was even more sickened to see the said turn led to a loop-de-loop. Ed was unable to keep a scream from escaping his mouth as he turned upside down, feeling the blood rushing to his head. Ling cheered some more.

The terrors didn't end. Ed had to witness two more loops, bumps that caused him to momentarily float out of his seat, and too many turns to count at the speed they were going. He decided to keep his eyes closed the entire time, but couldn't tell it was helping. Ling, on the other hand, seemed to be having the time of his life.

Ed could finally breathe again as the cart slowed down, and began to pry open his eyes. "Are we done now?"

"No, there's just one drop left," Ling reported.

Ed regretted opening his eyes. “The 324 feet drop…” He squeezed Ling’s hand, and Ling squeezed back, a small comfort. Then the carts dropped downwards.

Ed and Ling were thrust against their seats by the sudden force pushing against them. Ed’s hair flew out behind him and his eyes stung a bit from how tightly he was closing them. Ed, for probably the first time in his life, wished he had followed a safety rule because at that moment he swore the reinforcements on the roller coaster cart weren’t enough to keep him from flying out. “Nononononono aghhh!” _Well, this is it._

To Ed’s shock, the cart slowed down to a complete stop back at where they started as quickly as it had sped up before. Ed opened one eye to check he was safe, and then the other as he found himself not dead.

“Well that was exciting, wasn’t it?” remarked Ling.

Ed could only say an incoherent string of mumbling.

Ling had to help Ed out of the cart and away from the entranceway of the ride, hands still entangled, the latter’s legs shaking too much to walk in a straight line.

Head still spinning, partially from the rush of the ride and partially from the sensation of having Ling hold his hand for about a full minute, Ed found the nearest bench and sat down, hoping to regain his sense of balance soon. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out, thankful it had stayed in during the ride. With it turned on, he found a text from Al:

'Heard you screaming from all the way over here.'

Ed frowned, brows knit, at the text for a few moments before typing out a reply.

'i didn’t scream. why did u think it was me'

'Please. I know my brother’s scream.'

'shut up'  
'i didn’t!!'

After putting his phone away and realizing his hand wasn’t latched onto Ling’s, he frantically looked around. “Ling?”

“Right here.” Ling appeared behind the bench and made Ed jump a bit. “Sorry. I was buying pictures.”

“Pictures?” Ed frowned, but his confusion was quickly answered as Ling handed one of the two photographs in his hand to Ed. The picture had been taken during one of the drops. Ling seemed to be having the time of his life, one hand was thrown up in the air and his usually closed eyes wide open with excitement. Ed’s eyes, on the other hand, were clenched shut while the picture was taken. He was bracing onto both Ling’s hand and the bar of the cart for his life, mouth open wide in a scream. Beneath the picture was the Crashing Star printed out in text and the Crazy Coaster Park logo in bright colors. “You know, I’m going to throw this in the trash when I get back home.”

“Aww,” Ling frowned in an exaggeratedly disappointed tone. “But what about all the memories we made together?”

“I’m repressing these memories.”

“Alright, you ready to go to the Tunnel of Love?”

“Oh, right.” Ed had nearly forgotten. And being reminded of it, he was not excited. Nearly ten minutes on a lovey-dovey ride uncomfortably placed next to his crush as only sounded like hell. But eventually, he forced himself to get to his feet. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

Ling nodded, and the two began making the way over to the next ride.

“So,” Ed made conversation on their way, the Tunnel of Love just out of distance. “What’s up with this secret passage? And why do they have a Tunnel of Love in the twenty-first century? I thought nobody has been on one of those since the fifties.”

Ling shrugged. “Guess this park just likes to keep old rides, preserving history or something. There have been rumors about a secret tunnel somewhere in there, leads to the roof and gives a nice view of the park. Also, entrances to some of the rides, so we can get in free.”

“Huh,” Ed replied. He supposed he might be barely able to live through the Tunnel of Love if it meant getting free rides. He quickly changed his mind when he caught sight of the bright sign for the ride and got in line with Ling. There were about three other pairs in front of them, and Ed swore the one directly in front of them looked familiar, but he decided not to try to catch their attention. He didn’t want to be mistaken as going on a date with Ling, that would be too mortifying.

As the next few couples filtered into the tunnel and Ed and Ling moved up to second in line, Ed could finally peek around the lovers in front of them to catch sight of the Tunnel of Love. Swan boats, worn down by time, floated on top of the river that led down a faintly lit, but mostly dark, passage. Before the heart-shaped doors closed behind a couple, who Ed swore for a moment looked like Sig and Izumi, in the swan boat, a romantic tune could be heard. Ed felt sick. Wanting to forget about the dumb ride, he looked to the two women in front of them. It wasn’t long until he realized they seemed so familiar.

"Ling, we have to leave," Ed warned, tugging at the yellow sleeve of Ling’s jacket.

"What? We can’t lose our spot," Ling said, brow furrowed.

"No really, we need to go now." Ed was ready Ling out of line, but it was too late.

"Ed?" Winry exclaimed, turning around at the sound of their voices, Paninya standing beside her. "Never thought I'd see you here. it’s not really your scene." After giving Ed a strange look, her gaze quickly turned to Ed’s prosthetic limbs, always seeming to be more concerned about their well being than her actual friend.

Ed groaned, voice strained as he spoke. "Yeah, well there's a time for everything."

"And you're dating Ling?" Paninya exclaimed, giving him a shocked look.

"_No!_" Ed shouted, loud enough to draw attention from other couples to his bright red face. "Nooo. What are you talking about? It's not like that. We're just going on the Tunnel of Love together. Platonically. We’re looking for the secret passage." Desperately hoping to turn the conversation around, he added, "You're dating Winry!"

"Uh, yeah Ed," Winry said, one brow quirked up in confusion. "We told you that when we started dating. Which was several months ago."

Ed faked a laugh. "Which, um, yeah I know! Um."

"Next in line," called out the ticket master before Ed could explain himself. Paninya and Winry made their way into the next swan boat, Winry shooting Ed a look that told him they would be having a long talk about the situation later.

Ed glowered up at Ling. “Thanks for all the help.”

“What?” Ling shrugged, nonchalant. “It can’t be bad. You just explain everything later.”

“Well-” Ed huffed, stopping himself in his tracks, knowing he couldn’t explain it to Ling. He knew that Winry would pester him and eventually he’d have to reveal his crush on Ling. He loved Winry like a sister, which is exactly why he’d usually avoid telling her most of his secrets.

“Next in line,” the ticket master repeated as the next ugly swan boat floated up.

Ed groaned, but followed Ling as they turned in their tickets and filed into the boat. There wasn’t a lot of room, and Ed was stuck sitting very close to Ling. The heart doors opened up, and with a shudder, the boat started making its way downstream.

“I hate this,” Ed declared when the doors closed behind, trapping them.

“Even worse than the Crashing Star?” Ling asked.

“Yes. And the Crashing Star was nothing, I handled that like a champ.”

“Sure. Just don’t start screaming on this ride too.”

Ed shot Ling another icy stare before his attention was drawn away by one of the decorations, an animatronic cherub with a heart tipped arrow pointed at their boat. Hoping to hide all the blood rushing to his face and not wanting to witness what was coming up next on the Tunnel of Love, he covered his face with his hands and sank deeper into the seat. “Tell me when this is over.”

“What?” Ling asked sarcastically. “You’ll miss out on so much.”

Ed’s only reply was a muffled groan.

“Dude, just think, sixty years ago some teenagers were making out in the very same boat as ours on the very same ride,” Ling pointed out.

“Yeah, I don’t want to think about that,” Ed decided.

“Come on, it’s _history_, Ed. You have to respect it.”

The ride seemed to go on for eternity. Ling would crack the occasional joke and Ed would silently curse his racing heart and occasionally peek through his fingers before quickly regretting it when he caught sight of something heart-shaped.

“Hey, we’re here,” Ling explained, gently shaking Ed’s shoulder.

Ed finally straightened out, able to see again. He noted the exit doors weren’t far away, and he’d had to go through nearly the entire ride. He finally turned to where Ling was pointing, a small patch of land to hold some more corny decorations only a few feet away from the boat.

“How are we going to get there?” Ed asked.

“Jump,” Ling replied, before standing up and leaping gracefully from the swan boat to land. “Parkour!”

“I hate you,” Ed groaned, before following somewhat less gracefully.

“Please, you love me,” Ling joked, but Ed despised how true it was.

The swan boat left the tunnel without them, while Ling started poking around the cherubs and plastic greenery shaped into hearts. Ed’s gaze bore angrily at the cupid, which was grinning dopily, and waited for Ling to find the entrance.

All of a sudden, Ed’s phone buzzed. He whipped it out, groaning loudly as he found texts from Winry.

'ED WHERE ARE YOU'  
'i know you were on the boat behind us. where’d you go???'  
'we have A LOT to talk about'

Ed rolled his eyes even though there was no one there to see it.

'mmmm idk what ur talking about'

'ed i swear if you and ling are making out somewhere'

'we aren’t!!!'  
'we are not'  
'we aren’t'  
'just to make that super clear, we are not'

Too flustered to see what Winry would reply with, Ed put his phone on silent and stuffed it as deep as he could into his pocket. “Hey, Ling, you almost got it? I would like to be out of sight before the next swan boat passes by this.”

“Just a moment…” Ling replied, and then after a moment exclaimed, “Got it! Free rides for the rest of the night!” He then pulled the door on the vent off. It wasn’t very large, Ed and Ling would both have to crawl on their hands and knees to get through. Ling stepped aside and dramatically swept his arm towards the entrance.

“Smallest first.”

“I’m going to kill you.” Ed still made his way first into the vent, starting to climb through. He could hear Ling climb in behind him with a bit more trouble, closing the vent entrance, as he did.

A few more insufferable minutes cramped in a small space with Ling, and Ed found the vent taking two different routes. “Hey,” Ed said to Ling. “There’s one path that goes up and one that keeps going on.”

“I think the path going up leads to the roof of the Tunnel of Love,” Ling explained, “and the other one can get us into the rides.”

“I need air,” Ed grumbled and began climbing up the vent to the roof, able to push his back against one side of the vent to escape up to the top.

Ed gave a sigh of relief as walked onto the roof and got a breath of fresh air. As he stretched, he looked at the view and found it was nice. In the distance, he could see the Crashing Star, lit up in the dark. Ling soon climbed out after him.

“Might want to keep a low profile,” Ling warned. “We won’t be using that passage anymore if we get caught up here.

“Right,” Ed replied, taking a seat on the roof so he was in the dark and looking at the people below. “Dude, I think I can see Lan Fan,” Ed commented, noticing a dark-clothed figure amongst the crowd, standing out with a heap of stuffed animals in her arms.

“Woah!” Ling exclaimed, sitting cross-legged next to Ed. “Just think, I get a quarter of that.”

Ed chuckled. “That’s… a lot.”

They spent the next couple minutes pointing out people they recognized or thought should be pointed out. Al was still at the cafeteria tables, but Mei had joined him, and not soon after Paninya and Winry came too.

“You know, the lights are pretty,” Ling noted, breaking away from their conversation.

Ed nodded, staring out at the lit-up park, illuminating the rides and gift shops below. Down on the ground, he found the flashing lights slightly annoying, but with a new perspective, it was pretty beautiful. He then made the mistake of looking at Ling, breath caught again. Ling’s dark hair and tan skin were glowing from the lights below, his eyes shining as they met Ed’s. And then, of course, Ling sent Ed one of those shining grins that could make Ed’s knees go weak.

“Ling, I like you,” Ed said before he could think about it too much.

“Yeah,” Ling replied. “I like you too.”

“No. I don’t like you in a just friends way. In like I _like_ you kind of way. In an I want to kiss you kind of way.”

Ling frowned. “Yeah, Ed, that was what I was trying to say. I want to kiss you too.”

“Oh. Oh!” Ed blushed. “You know, you could have told me earlier and saved me from all that embarrassment.”

“You could have told me and saved yourself from embarrassment,” Ling countered.

Ed glared at him but then realized Ling was leaning in a bit closer and realized what was going to happen. Startled, he leaned in too and kissed Ling on the lips. After a few moments they pulled apart, and Ed felt giddy that his daydreams about kissing his crush had been answered.

“You still sure you don’t want to take me out to dinner?” Ling attempted.

Ed tried to scowl at Ling, but couldn’t hide his smile. “You’re insufferable.” He paused. “But I might have a few extra dollars I can spend.”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to my friends for peer-reviewing this and to anyone who took the time to read this! it means a lot, especially since this is is my first fic i'm posting online


End file.
